K-12 Cookbook Breaks New Ground

Looking to promote consumption of local produce while pleasing finicky student appetites, a pair of Californians has created a new book designed to inspire a new school lunch program model.

Georgeanne Brennan and Ann M. Evanshaveco-authoredCooking with California Food in K-12 Schools, a new, comprehensive approach to feeding children food that is healthy, tasty and supportive of local food economies. It is also comprised of dishes that already have a track record of pleasing young palates. It acknowledges and celebrates foods from a variety of cultures that have found favor in mainstream America and builds upon these foods to introduce new tastes and ideas.

“I love the idea of these dishes appearing both in school and at home,” Brennan said. “It reinforces the idea that school food can be delicious and as we know, children love to have favorite dishes repeated again and again.”
 
While the book is designed to accommodate California ingredients and growing seasons, most recipes are easily adaptable to other locales and serve as inspiration for both home cooks and school food service professionals. The book may be downloaded free of charge at Ecoliteracy.org.

Award-winning cookbook author and food journalist Brennan and sustainable food advocate and educational consultant Evans offer a step-by-step guide for school lunch organized around six basic dishes, five cultural profiles and four seasons. Recipes are straightforward, easily executed and offer friendly substitutions. Ingredients range from moderately priced to inexpensive.
 
There are entire sections of the book that can be adapted for classroom lessons as the flavor profiles, ingredient lists and simplicity of recipes lend themselves to cooking, cultural and health studies.

In addition to the recipes and nutritional information, there is also a professional development section for food service personnel.

The publication is a project of the Center for Ecoliteracy, a nonprofit dedicated to education for sustainable living that pioneered the “Rethinking School Lunch” model used by many schools nationwide.

Article by Jason Tomaszewski, EducationWorld Associate Editor
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